DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's basketball team lit the lamp from downtown on Wednesday night, defeating Luther 85-67. The Duhawks were 17-of-39 from beyond the arc and were led by junior Justin VanWambeke, who finished with 25 points and was 5-of-9 from distance. Five players registered 10 or more points for Loras in the win.

TURNING POINT
In the first half Loras closed on a 14-2 run, which at one point put them up by 20 points. This run was sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from freshman Demond George near the three minute mark. George finished the half with six points while adding an assist and two steals, upping his season steal total to 22.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Luther did their best the stay in the game throughout the first half, but a late run by the Duhawks put the Norse in an 18-point hole at halftime. Nathan Meyer, who entered the game averaging 13.1 points per game was held to just two in the half for Luther.

Loras opened the game with a barrage of 3-pointers, hitting 11-of-21 in the first half. Mims led the effort from deep, hitting three of his own. In total, six Duhawks hit 3-pointers in the half.

Second-chance points were key to Loras' first half success, with the Duhawks collecting 12 second chance points off eight offensive rebounds.

The Duhawks beat up Luther on the boards, hauling in 26 rebounds of their own compared to 12 by the Norse. Senior Mirko Grcic and junior Danny Quinn played the glass well, collecting a combined 12 rebounds in the half. Both of which had two offensive rebounds.

Second Half
For the first 9:18 of the half, Loras and Luther matched each other basket-for-basket, taking a 48-30 Loras lead to 65-47 with 10:42 to play. When all looked as though the Duhawks would be in control the rest of the night, the Norse went on a 10-0 run, ending with a pair of free throws by Jack Woolems.

Loras finally put an end to the scoreless drought with a free throw by Grcic, which sent the Duhawks on a 16-3 run, opening a 21-point gap.

VanWambeke was instrumental in consistently increasing the Duhawks lead, scoring 13 of his 25 points in the second half. The junior returned to his regular form, hitting 10-of-14 attempts from the floor, including a 5-of-9 performance from beyond the arc.

Grcic picked up the pace in the second half, scoring 13 of his 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the half. The senior dominated on the boards throughout the night collecting 12 in total, with five coming in the second.

Precision passing was an aspect of the game often emphasized by head coach Greg Gorton postgame, stating that "It's not often we finish with 21 assists and only eight turnovers, on some nights you can almost reverse those numbers and have our final stat line."

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Michael Mims | Mims was the top distributor, finishing the game with seven assists despite coming off the bench to start the game. Coming off injury Mims, was stellar from beyond the arc, hitting 4-of-7 jump shots from deep. The freshman handled the ball with care, resulting in zero turnovers and a 7.0 assist to turnover ratio, his best mark of the season.

HIGHLIGHTS


SOUNDBITES | Demond George & Michael Mims


SOUNDBITES | Greg Gorton


UP NEXT
Loras finishes off their home stand against Wartburg on Sunday, tipping off at 4:00 pm. Wartburg steps onto Lillis Court having lost two of their last three conference matches, including a 80-75 loss to Simpson on Wednesday. Loras split with the Knights last season, with each team winning by single digits.